Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
An hour after leaving, they returned to the castle. Sure, he could have suggested Helia stay with her parents, but then she’d be out of his sight, and he’d be unable to protect her. Neither option worked for him.
“What are we going to tell Kendall? And Dulcie?” she asked, clutching her overnight bag. At least her intruder hadn’t taken anything, not even the intricate diamond necklace given to her by her Indian grandmother.
“The truth, I guess?” He knew nothing about twelve-year-olds, but he was getting to know Kendall.
Between her trust issues and being far too old for her age, hiding things from her would do more harm than good.
He’d like to coddle her, maybe give her some of her childhood back, but now wasn’t the right time.
Helia tipped her head, the security lights Dulcie installed earlier catching strands of gold and copper in her hair. “You’re right. I hate it, but you’re right.”
He pulled into a spot beside Dulcie’s truck, and they climbed out, their steps heavier than they’d been an hour ago.
He reached for Helia’s bag but dropped his hand when his phone rang.
Pulling the device from his pocket, he checked the name.
Leo. He needed to take the call but didn’t want Helia to hear.
She didn’t need to know the extent of his paranoia when it came to her safety.
Not wanting her to stay alone after someone broke into her home was one thing; knowing he had someone looking into Derek, Trish, Justin, and Kurt was a whole different level.
“I need to get this,” he said, slowing his steps.
Curiosity flickered across her expression, but she nodded and said nothing.
“Leo,” he said, typing the code into the door.
“You’ve had an interesting day,” came the younger man’s reply.
“That’s one way of putting it.”
Helia slipped into the castle. He felt bad leaving her to explain her return to Dulcie and Kendall, but he closed the door behind her, then leaned against the cold stone of the entryway.
“Where do you want to start?” Leo asked.
“The pistol,” he replied.
“Good choice. It was used in a drug bust gone south in Jacksonville seven years ago. A young cop was shot. He survived but is no longer a cop since the bullet went through his spine and left him a paraplegic.”
Monk gave a fleeting thought to the young man whose life had irrevocably changed in that instant. But the question that occupied most of his thoughts was, “How the hell did my dad get hold of a gun from Florida?”
“And it’s not the first time the state has cropped up in the weirdness that’s going on,” Leo pointed out. “Derek Weber and Trish are from Florida, too.”
“Any news on Trish?” Monk asked.
“She’s next on the list,” Leo replied.
“What about Flannery? Or Kurt Fisher?” He felt bad dumping so much on Leo but knew the cyber expert would be offended if he didn’t. He did decide, though, that he and Joey would be getting a case of Bacco wine for Christmas.
“No updates on Flannery as far as the police are concerned. They’re still combing through the evidence. There’s nothing being tested for DNA so it will be a slog. Old-school detective work.”
“That may be what the police are doing, but what about you?” Monk asked as the door swung open.
“You should come in,” Dulcie said, standing in the doorway.
Monk raised an eyebrow. “The ladies are speculating like crazy what that call is about, and I think it would be best for everyone to be on the same page.” He paused, then added, “Not that I think a twelve-year-old should be hearing the things you’re probably hearing, but Kendall isn’t your average twelve-year-old. ”
Monk sighed, not really surprised by the development. They knew about the murders. Kendall knew about his cyber expert friends. Between the two, who knew what stories they were concocting.
“Hold that thought, Leo. I’m going to join the group, which will include Helia and Kendall—who is twelve. Don’t hide things from her, but if you could…”
“Not get graphic?”
“Please.”
“Not a problem. Why don’t you update them on what we covered, then I can pick it up.”
He mumbled a thank-you as he entered the tasting room behind Dulcie. Helia and Kendall both blinked at him with wide eyes, not hiding their surprise at his willingness to bring them into the fold, so to speak.
“Leo Gallardo, a cyber expert from HICC, a security firm in Mystery Lake, is on the line. I’ve been asking him to look into a few of the things going on here,” he started.
“Like the murders?” Kendall asked.
“That’s Kendall,” he said to Leo. “And yes, the murders. But also the fact that I found a pistol in my father’s room along with—” He hesitated, wondering if it would be going too far to talk about the drugs in front of Kendall.
“Drugs,” she said.
The fact that she knew—or guessed—didn’t make the regret he felt at her having that kind of knowledge any lighter.
“Yeah, drugs. I don’t know what kind. Lovell dropped them at HICC to get tested.”
“Drugs?” Helia repeated.
“Roger has been into them for as long as I can remember,” Monk said, holding her gaze. “I knew he was a user, but I found more than what a single habit could support. Or even a year’s worth of his parties.”
“So is my mom,” Kendall said.
Monk swung his attention to her. Not once had she mentioned her mom since waking up that morning.
She gave an awkward shrug. “She’s been on and off them for as long as I can remember.
She’s fine for a while and then…well, then she isn’t.
That’s how we ended up here a few weeks ago.
The parties here give her everything she needs—food, drink, drugs, a place to crash.
Sex.” That last word, spoken so quietly, ricocheted across the room.
Conflicting emotions crashed through Monk at her admission.
He desperately hoped they’d find her mother so Monk could drive some sense into her.
Intellectually, he knew that wasn’t possible—you couldn’t help people who didn’t want to be helped.
But that didn’t stop him from wanting to protect Kendall.
Another part of him hoped they never found her, though.
Kendall might be better off without her.
It wasn’t his call to make, of course. But if it came to that, he and the Falcons would take her in if she didn’t have any other family.
She deserved a safe place, a place she could thrive.
He wanted to see her laugh and go to school. And chase whatever dreams she had.
Leo cleared his throat. “If you want me to find her, I’m happy to look.”
Kendall’s eyes shot to Monk’s. “It’s up to you,” he said.
She nodded but didn’t answer. She didn’t shut the option down, though, either.
“Okay,” Helia said, drawing out the word. “So, what were you two talking about before Dulcie dragged you in?”
Monk wanted to brush the question—the whole topic—off; instead, he filled them in on the gun and the Florida connections.
“Trish?” Helia asked, her expression conveying the same doubt he’d seen earlier.
“I know you think it’s a stretch, but she’s from Florida and is someone from your past who’s reemerged into your life,” Monk said.
“Could she be the woman I heard?” Kendall asked.
“What woman?” Leo and Dulcie replied at the same time. Kurt’s murder had taken precedence, and he hadn’t updated either on what Kendall overheard. He nodded to her to fill them in.
She drew back in surprise, then, as if making up for the momentary lapse of confidence, she snapped her spine straight and repeated what she’d told him.
“It couldn’t have been Trish,” Leo said when she finished.
“Why not?” Kendall asked, curiosity rather than challenge in her tone.
“I did a quick look at her while you were talking, and she flew into San Francisco four days ago. Before that, she was in Miami, but the day Roger died, she was in Hong Kong. I’m not saying she wasn’t involved in Roger’s death, but she couldn’t have been who you heard.”
Kendall stared at the phone. “You got all that in the, like, ninety seconds it took me to tell you what I heard?”
Leo chuckled. “Yeah, we’re good like that.”
“So what have you found out about the other two dead guys?” Kendall asked.
Monk cast Helia a questioning look. Should he be worried about her interest? Not in the sense he thought she had anything to do with it, but was it healthy?
Helia’s eyes widened and she shrugged, not having any idea either, apparently. Dulcie cleared his throat and gave a tiny shake of his head. Since he was the only one experienced with kids, Monk decided that, as weird as it felt, he’d trust his brother and let Kendall lead the discussion.
“Nothing new on Flannery,” Leo answered.
“The guy who was found dead in his home a few days ago?” Kendall clarified.
“The same,” Leo confirmed. “I was about to update Monk about Kurt Fisher when you all came into the conversation.”
“And?” Kendall pressed.
Monk leaned back against the sofa. Beside him, Helia tucked her legs underneath her, her body listing into his.
Pushing aside whatever Dulcie or Kendall might think, he laid his hand, palm up, on his thigh.
Without hesitation, she slid hers over, twining her fingers with his, then rested her head on his shoulder.
Dulcie’s eyes bounced between them before settling on Kendall.
“Kurt Fisher did leave the valley to work with a restaurant in San Francisco. That was three years ago. He lasted there about a year and a half, and he’s been bouncing from job to job ever since,” Leo said.
“Addiction issues?” Monk asked.
“There’s some evidence of that, but nothing conclusive. His most recent job is an interesting one, though,” Leo replied. “He works for Wei Zhao. Or rather, he worked for Wei Zhao at one of his smaller enterprises.”
“Which sounds not legit,” Kendall said.
“Zhao operates several legit businesses but has just as many that aren’t. The one in San Francisco that Fisher worked for was a fish import business.”